Our Board Members

Lucas Boyle

Lucas Boyle

President, Vice Chair

How many years of experience do you have playing dodgeball?
I’ve been balling since 2007. Rubber 8.5” for 14 years, Foam 8.25” for 9 years, and 7″ foam for about 3 years.

How did you first get into dodgeball?
I wandered by Cal Anderson Park on a friday night. I watched the first night and vowed to try it the next time I walked by. A week later I jumped in and was hooked. The game, the people, the shit-talking. Everything was perfect and there was room for anyone who wanted a place to be.

What do you love about the game and community?
There’s something special about dodgeball. It’s inherently chaotic. It’s one of the only games that has multiple balls in play at the same time. It’s super stimulating but it forces you act or be acted upon. The players that work together are successful. There are no referees, so integrity and the honor’s system are the foundation of the community. Beyond that, dodgeball seems to have an uncanny ability to attract special people and the community keeps getting better and better.

What gets you excited about the future of Dodgeball Seattle?
I’m thrilled to be part of a team of people passionate about supporting the dodgeball community in and around Seattle. The formation of this board means that we have the bandwidth to fortify existing dodgeball offerings and the resources to grow new ones. Think of your favorite dodgeball community, now pump it full of vitamins, vegetables, and lots of sleep. Boom!

William Fischer

William Fischer

Vice President, Business Development Chair

How many years of experience do you have playing dodgeball?
Three and a half years of experience.

How did you first get into dodgeball?
Saw a post on the Seattle Reddit, showed up to Loyal Heights, joined a foam league on Dean Thomas’ team who kept pulling me back each season and fell in love with the game.

What do you love about the game and community?
I love how much depth there is to this game. There is so much to learn and improve on and that drives me to keep pushing myself. The community is incredible, locally and worldwide. Unlike a lot of sports I’ve played in where you don’t really get to know the other teams you’ve played, Dodgeball’s community is like a family. There are so many draft tournaments and events where the focus is fun that your network of friends quickly explodes. When that team you just played is cheering you on in your next game or cheering at your moments of greatness it creates such a welcoming environment.

What gets you excited about the future of Dodgeball Seattle?
This community helped me make Seattle home when I moved here 4 years ago. I want to continue to make this community a welcoming and amazing place for people of all walks of life. New players should be able to quickly join in on the fun and meet new friends with ease. At the same time, anyone should be able to find outlets to keep growing as a player if that’s what they desire without hampering the fun for others. It’s such a tough and interesting challenge to tackle and the results show in the direct happiness of our community.

Missy Takahashi

Missy Takahashi

Secretary

How many years of experience do you have playing dodgeball?
Two and a half years playing with DBSEA.

How did you first get into dodgeball?
The first time I EVER played dodgeball was in November of 2014. I was looking for a fun activity to get more exercise, but it was winter time in Seattle, so I did a google search for “indoor team sports”. The search led me to a Craigslist post for Seattle Underdog. I joined an Indy team and played a couple seasons with random people before a DBSEA veteran told me about the Sunday foam league. I played my first Dodgeball Seattle Foam league during the winter 2015 season. I found it to be WAY more challenging, exciting, and fun than the “other” league I had played with. I was very intimidated my first season of Seattle foam because of the level of competition and the amazing skill of the players. It was Dodgeball like I had never seen before!

What do you love about the game and community?
I feel like I get to be my true self when I’m playing dodgeball. I feel powerful, healthy, and alive when I play. Many people in the community already know that my younger sister, Jen, and I were very sick as children. We were in the hospital a lot, we missed almost entire years of school, and we were not allowed to play outside during recess like other kids. I never played dodgeball as a child. As an adult, I feel like a part of me is healing now by playing. I am no longer the frail, sick little girl who has to stay in bed while everyone else gets to go out and play. I get to play now. I love how we’re all just big kids playing and having a great time. I still carry that sense of separation with me when it comes to other people. This community has helped me connect (with people) in a way that I have struggled with my whole life. I feel like I belong in this community. For the first time, I belong to a family of friends who share my love of a great sport.

What gets you excited about the future of Dodgeball Seattle?
I am very honored to be a part of the Board of Directors for DBSEA. I humbled to be among a group of such passionate and capable people. My hope is to grow our community even more so that people who don’t even know they love Dodgeball yet can discover us. I know there are people out there who want to play, but they just don’t know it yet! I am excited to help those people find us and bring them into our family.

Roy McElmurry

Roy McElmurry

Chair of the Board, Treasurer

How many years of experience do you have playing dodgeball?
4+ years of experience (I lost count)

How did you first get into dodgeball?
Originally a high school buddy of mine who went to Seattle Central College told me about pickup at Cal Anderson park. We went a few times back in 2009. However, my real introduction to Dodgeball Seattle was in 2015(?) when I got really bored with weight lifting and running. I wanted to find a team sport that could offer the same things I cherished from high school cross-country, wrestling and track. I found the pickup night at Loyal Heights, met Lucas, and have become more and more involved ever since.

What do you love about the game and community?
Its all about the people. The game is quite fun, but it is so much more fun to play it with a crowd of friendly and interesting people. I have made a ton of friends through this sport.

What gets you excited about the future of Dodgeball Seattle?
I’m very excited to serve as Board Chair and Treasurer for Dodgeball Seattle. My journey started as a player and I was eager to help this become bigger and better in any way I could. My journey lead me to by being a ref, captain, assistant organizer, organizer and now I’m proud to say I can help grow and improve the community as a whole in this new role.

John Bell

John Bell

COO, Inclusion, Innovation, and Advancement Chair

How many years of experience do you have playing dodgeball?

Started playing dodgeball in 2008, hiatus from the game between 2012-2017 (college years kicked my butt!)

How did you first get into dodgeball?

I am and have always been a Cal Anderson kid. I frequently used to play hoops at the basketball courts. One day out of nowhere, these people started throwing rubber balls at the adjacent tennis courts. It was mesmerizing and looked like a heap of fun but basketball was my primary passion, which took priority over this new activity. Eventually, there would be times when the number of basketball players would dwindle and there wouldn’t be enough people for a game. At that point, I would migrate over to play dodgeball. The people were very inviting and the game was exciting—you will be hard pressed to find another sport where there are multiple live balls, which I find is the singular most entertaining aspect of the game (for both players and spectators). After a several year lay-off, returning in 2018 skyrocketed my involvement in the game. Dodgeball Seattle had developed the structure of things exponentially from when I had left and it felt like a rebirth. There were more pick-up nights, plus leagues and tournaments were now offered, among other events. The game now had a competitive sport aspect—it was clear that I had now found home.

What do you love about the game and community?

I love the community for how loving and supportive it is. Dodgeball locally brings a different experience from that of other sports where players and teams view the opposition as the enemy to be taken out. Within our community, we value uplifting others regardless of what team you are on. There is a special type of bonding and camaraderie that develops, which is hard to describe. Even in doing so, it’s an injustice compared to the actual feeling of it. The community truly becomes an extended family. I love the game not only for the fun that it brings, but for the potential impact it can have on one’s life. Dodgeball now has nationwide and international participation. It never ceases to amaze me that people can travel thousands of miles to different states and countries for a game that most people believe is limited to the days of elementary school.

What gets you excited about the future of Dodgeball Seattle?

Despite the evolution of the sport, dodgeball still has room to grow. DBSEA is one of (if not, THE) best local dodgeball organizations across the nation and can be a catalyst for the growth and exposure of the game. I am extremely enthusiastic and honored to have a part in driving this game to becoming more accessible and inclusive for all.

Vincent Pham

Vincent Pham

Rules and Competition Chair

How many years of experience do you have playing dodgeball?
~4 years of dodgeball experience.

How did you first get into dodgeball?
Many years ago a friend invited me to a game of dodgeball in the park in Redmond. They played every week during the summer and I was hooked. Once summer ended I found Seattle Dodgeball to satisfy my need to play.

What do you love about the game and community?
Dodgeball can be such a humbling and brutal sport, yet the support we give each other, the honesty, and unbelievable fun always brings me back for more.

What gets you excited about the future of Dodgeball Seattle?
I love Dodgeball and how much of my life it has become, and I’m excited at the opportunity to give back. I love the game and want to make it accessible to more people by helping provide great dodgeball.


Interested in joining a committee?

Use the form below to submit an application to join and help the Seattle Dodgeball community grow even more!